St. Philip Neri, apostle of Rome and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory,

by Victor J. Matthews

\"Rome is to be your Indies,\" prophesied a saintly monk to St. Philip Neri. So, he moved to Rome, became a priest and proceeded to sanctify that city, and thus the world. He had a tremendous sense of humor, he worked countless miracles and advised everyone from beggars to Popes. Founder of the Oratory, the inspiration of Saints and everyone. For sanctifying Rome, the Church owes him--even to our own time--a debt of unimaginable magnitude. 144 pgs, PB

Genres: Biography, Religion, Catholic

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Ryan Hepler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish it mentioned his jokes more but, it was good

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this guy!

[ShepherdsDelight · Rating 5 out of 5]

85/100 (= 5.0/6) ≈ 5 Stars

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What a saint. A good intro, we're given a picture of his personality and virtues, but one wishes for much more! Looking forward to a few other books about St. Philip.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

“First let a little love find entrance into their hearts, and the rest will follow.”
-- Philip Neri

“Humility is the safeguard of chastity. In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than not fearing the danger. For my part, when I find a man secure of himself and without fear, I give him up for lost. I am less alarmed for one who is tempted and who resists by avoiding the occasions, than for one who is not tempted and is not careful to avoid occasions. When a person puts himself in an occasion, saying, I shall not fall, it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with great injury to his soul.”
-- Philip Neri

“Give me ten truly detached men. and I will convert the world with them.”
-- Philip Neri

“Do not grieve over the temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast.”
-- Philip Neri

“We are not saints yet, but we, too, should beware. Uprightness and virtue do have their rewards, in self-respect and in respect from others, and it is easy to find ourselves aiming for the result rather than the cause. Let us aim for joy, rather than respectability. Let us make fools of ourselves from time to time, and thus see ourselves, for a moment, as the all-wise God sees us.”
-- Philip Neri

[Michael Papier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of an incredible man who would become a Saint. My curiosity about him made me investigate him. When I realized he was the Patron Saint of U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers, and having served in that capacity, I felt obligated to try to find out more about him. After reading this book I could not help but admire him.

[Avery Reich-Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short look into the life of Philip Neri written by an Oratorian. It gives a nice overview for the casual reader. It is also a good starting point for those who want to learn more about this humorous Saint.

[Sean Mahoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short easy biography of St. Philip Neri. Felt like a bird’s eye view of his life but I liked it. Unfortunately throughout the reading I lost 80 pages in my copy, so I don’t think I’ll be re-reading this anytime soon.

[Jake Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philip Neri is quite an astounding saint and that comes through in this book, but it’s confusing and non-consistent tone make it hard to follow (is it a history, a narration, an informal account, a linear story?). The books identity is up in the air and it lacks many aspects you would expect in a biography or life of a saint.

I like that it is short and easy to get through and I think it tries to do his life justice. It is worth reading, it is just not any sort of masterpiece.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2.5 stars]

The writing was rather stale, so I was glad that the chapters were short. I wish I had found a better biography of St. Phillip Neri but this was the only one I could access at the time.

[Fr Scott Reilly LC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saint Philip Nero is a great saint! However, the book is poorly written.